January27, 2010

Mr. Speaker, government's view of the economy could be summed up this way: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

The American people are uneasy about their financial future. Taxing and borrowing and spending are out of control. Government is the problem. The people are frustrated.

We in Washington should listen to the people of America. They talked to us at town hall meetings. They got louder with their marches on Washington. The American people say stop the spending, cut up the credit cards. We should listen to America.

America is a representative Republic. That means the people talk, we listen. We implement their ideas. That is the way it works. Lately, the government dictates, the people comply. That is backwards, and it is arrogant.

In America, the people are the sovereign, not the government. We in Congress should make the government work for the people, work with them, not over them; stand by their side, not ride their backs. The people are talking, and their voices cannot continue to fall on a deaf government asleep in denial.